From abstract to figurative and from landscapes to portraits, you will certainly find something to fall in love with among KAZoART’s contemporary acrylic painting collection. Artists have been exploring the immense array of colours acrylic painting has to offer since 1940. Take a look at this technique and it’s colourful heritage!

Famous acrylic paintings and artists

Often associated with pop art, the acrylic painting technique owes a lot to Roy Lichenstein who paved the way with his famous paintings Hopeless (1963) and Big Little Painting (1965). Pop art initially used bright colours, often described as “flashy”, which were popular even at the start of the movement. Andy Warhol also obviously comes to mind, who enjoyed the wide variety and intense pigments that acrylic paint offers, especially for Flowers(1964) or even Marylin Diptych(1962). He was the first artist to associate other techniques with acrylic painting: sketching, oil painting, ink. David Hockney should also be mentioned for his masterpiece A bigger Splash (1967).

Since the 1960s, artists have painted acrylic on canvas, especially for abstract works. Morris Louis was one of the first artists to use Magna paints, in his acrylic painting Alpha-Pi(1960) and Beta-Lambda(1961). Other artists like Barnett Newman, Kenneth Nolan and Larry Poons, who painted Sunnyside Switch(1963), all played an essential role for acrylic painting. Famous abstract expressionists used acrylic painting too, such as Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell and Helen Frankenthaler, as well surrealists such as Max Ernst and Joan Miro, with Character in front of the sun (1968).

The history of the acrylic technique

As early as the 1900s, a German chemist, Otto Rohm, identified components in order to create “acrylic” paint, designed for industrial use.

In the 1920s-1930s acrylic was used for the first time to paint murals. The famous Mexican mural artist David Siqueiros initiated a training programme on using acrylic for other artists, including Jackson Pollock.

The famous brand Magna seized the mineral market that had given rise to acrylic paint in the 1940s, but this technique still struggled to find its rightful place, as the great masters disregarded it, considering that only oil painting was a worthy technique. Scepticism was replaced by enthusiasm when non-toxic formulas were introduced in the 1960s, which also dried faster.

Artists then discovered the myriad of effects these paints could offer in original acrylic painting. When mixed with water, this paint can be lightened to the transparency of watercolour, used pure, it looks like oil, offering raised texture and the possibility of scraping the surface of the canvas. Associated with other materials: sand, fibres, etc., it is possible to play on the consistency, and is also extremely compatible with other techniques.

Acrylic painting techniques are still very popular among many artists, come and discover new contemporary acrylic paintings on canvas created by our very own KAZoART artists.

KAZoART is a digital marketplace that allows art lovers and aspiring collectors to discover contemporary artists and directly purchase original works of art. The committee is well-versed in the world of art and takes pride in the top-notch quality of its selections. KAZoART uses its established online presence to help talented artists increase their distribution and boost their international renown.

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